Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ESL

ESL tips and games for young children

saul wright — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:29:20 -0800

I am teaching English to a 4 and a 7 year old (separately) and I am looking for tips, games, ipad apps, or resources. I've been working through Azar's Basic English Grammar with the 7 year old but I'd like something more fun to supplement with. Also, what would be a good longer term goal for him to work towards?

I've just been working on the alphabet with the 4 year old. He's got the uppercase down and will hopefully soon be able to do the lowercase on his own. What else is essential for his age?

ESL language resources for a 7-year-old?

halogen — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:40:59 -0800

My Bulgarian nephew speaks no English and just enrolled in the first grade of a public school in the United States. He will be staying here until June. So far, he is handling it well and is proactive about learning English. Everyone at home has become a makeshift, round-the-clock ESL tutor and he is constantly provided with opportunities to pick up grammar and vocabulary, but his teachers don't really know what to do with him before he can communicate. What additional resources can we provide for him to help him pick up the language faster? He already has a bunch of library books, so we're looking for apps for iPad, Android, Chrome, Nintendo 3DS and other things a computer-savvy 7-year-old might enjoy. Thanks!

Help me teach an informal ESL class on writing?

caoimhe — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:31:31 -0800

Hi! I often eat in a certain restaurant, and one of the people who works there asked if I would help her with her writing in English. I am very happy to help, but I have no idea how to do this. She speaks very good English, but she said her writing is very bad. (Her first language is Spanish.) I am meeting with her (and maybe a few of her co-workers) for the first time this week -- any ideas on what we should do? I thought I'd start out with dictation, but any ideas would be much appreciated!

Resources to improve spelling and grammar?

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:43:26 -0800

What resources would you recommend for an adult who is a native English speaker who nonetheless struggles with grammar and spelling? I'm asking on the behalf of my boyfriend, who dropped out of middle school, and is also dyslexic. He asked if I had a book or website to recommend, but most of what I could find is geared towards kids or people learning English as a second language. He already feels insecure about all this, so recommending an ESL book seems really patronizing. He even acts sheepish asking me about grammar or how to spell something, so something he can pursue on his own would be ideal (even though I'm happy to help and don't judge him whatsoever).

Working in Japan as an ALT with a girlfriend

Nighthawk3729 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:36:21 -0800

Hi people with ALT experience, finding work in Japan sure is tough. Finding work with your girlfriend? Much harder. Where should a pair of people go to teach English in Japan? We are spending our time trying to get anywhere we can (We hear being near a city increases our happiness), however, we have been rooting for a position in Nagoya, Kanagawa as a close second. We keep hitting dead ends and are getting desperate. It looks like at this rate, we are going to save up $2,000 a piece and take a plane there in mid-april, 3 months from now, hopefully finding work in the 90 days we are legally allowed there. I'm wondering if I can work as a prep cook while she teaches ESL, that would make me happy, albeit, a bit short of a visa. This is of course, aside from the trouble of finding work that is not ESL.

The people of Metafilter have helped so much in the past, acting as thoughtful guides to some of my difficult questions, I thank you guys again in advance for the amazing few that shine through and give us some concrete information that will help us to get this dream off the ground. One too many unanswered emails and failed interviews (with ending locations uncertain) has taken it's toll. We have tapped out our job hunting resources and are bewildered, help.

I am well aware of Gajinpot, Ohayo sensei and Dave's ESL Cafe. I've emailed many schools personally to try and find work. Mind you, this is just for one person. Recently, my girlfriend and I have begun combining our efforts to and our emails, making it clear that we are looking to live together even if we have to travel in opposite directions for over an hour. We are getting the same results.

The past month and a half has been the early part of the hiring process, where are these jobs?!

I have been working on my Japanese and understand Hiragana now much faster, I've also switched over to grammer and common phrases with a great degree of understanding. My girlfriend is at a much higher level then me and has been helping me.

High School Book Club Recommendations

trueluk — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:48:37 -0800

I'm looking for specific book recommendations for high school exchange students. I'm tutoring small groups of high school exchange students (juniors and seniors) and I'd like to include a book club aspect with each group. However, I'm having trouble coming up with a list of good books that will be accessible and engaging for the students. Most of the students have read only a handful of (non-textbook) books in English, so I want to start with something I'm sure each student can finish. Their reading levels vary, but I estimate one group has a reading level comparable to an average high school junior's level, while the other groups are further behind.

Help me find novels or collections of essays/short stories that we can read and discuss together.

Generating ideas for work in Japan outside of teaching, or Eikaiwa jobs.

Nighthawk3729 — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:31:16 -0800

I'm currently looking for work in Japan. I'm scouring the internet, Dave's ESL cafe, ALT (assistant language teacher) listings and am not really looking for help in that respect. If you have any suggestions however, I am happy to hear more. The only exception would be if anyone knows of any Eikaiwa (Private school) jobs or any forums that post job listings.. It is my question that since the work is not always steady and there is the possibility I would go there just to tutor, there is waaay too much flux in my ability to pay for rent. I need help figuring outside work. Outside of selling Japanese items around the world, I'm trying to figure out ways to make money with a general skill set. I'm vocal enough and confident in my speaking ability so I figure I can lead tour groups on my free time and post the listings on craigslist. I'm also looking into working as a waiter or dishwasher, but I was hoping for some help generating ideas. Thanks! PS - I alreadly have information on career cross and gaijin pot. If anyone knows any temp agencies are teacher employment agencies, that would be appreciated as well.

How to say no to Cultural Education?

nile_red — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:22:44 -0800

Help me make arguments against cultural education programs in Korean schools. My 6th grade students are gearing up for a debate competition. One of the possible resolutions is "Schools should teach cultural education programs in schools." We may be either Pro or Con on this or one of a few other resolutions. For the other resolutions, we're fine, and the kiddos have come up with many many Pro arguments, but we are all falling flat on compelling cons.

The class has:

"Is this really the best way to spend our education money?"
"America needs cultural education, but Korea with 0.7% foreign students doesn't."
"Our Moms don't want us taking time away from core studies."
"We could learn this better if it was part of classes we already take, like History or Social Studies."

Also - I've never been a debate teacher before this year, and I'm not sure what my appropriate level of involvement is in their argument building process, ethically.

Where's the best place to learn a foreign language?

boghead — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:49:01 -0800

I'm going to quit my job and spend 6 months living in another country learning a language. I'm looking for your personal experience with excellent schools. Where should I go? My benchmark here is CEPE UNAM, which is a part of the National University of Mexico. A good friend told me it offers well-taught classes, it's relatively cheap, and it's got a good community - expat and otherwise. This is what I'm looking for in a school, but I'd like to see what else is out there.

America Day Fun and Games for ESL Learners

elisse — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:48:24 -0800

It's "America Day"! What simple activities and games would you suggest for 40 English language learners in China, ages 8-12? My program has been invited to run an "America Day" with 3rd-6th graders, ages 8-12, learning English at a summer camp in China. I have 20 American high schoolers who will volunteer to play games and do activities with these children. We will be playing games with the kids for about an hour and a half. We are not going to have a lot of supplies at our disposal - just PowerPoint capability.

What games would you suggest that we play with the Chinese students? I've been told their English is very basic/non-existent. Any suggestions and/or websites welcome! I've been thinking of having my students introduce some songs about various American holidays, and play some usual American children's games such as duck duck goose, and Simon Says.

Thank you in advance!

Subtitled TED talks for my language students

mecran01 — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:33:34 -0800

I'm trying to find standalone copies of TED talks with English subtitles. I will be teaching in a room without an internet connection to Chinese faculty who have good vocabularies but are working on their delivery. I've tried the metalinks at http://metated.petarmaric.com/ and the downloaded videos don't show subtitles in either Quicktime player and VNC. I'm using an older Macbook with 10.6.8.

I can't access youtube or the internet in the classrooms. Oh, and if anyone knows of a good working VPN that would be helpful too.

Thanks Metafilterians. I have other content to use but the videos would be nice. Oh, and if my responses are sporadic it is because I am on Beijing time.

Open courses that teach writing skills: where are they?

pracowity — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:16:04 -0800

Open courses that teach writing skills: where are they? Sites like Coursera, Udacity, and Khan Academy specialize in technology, science, and mathematics. I need similar resources but that teach writing skills (and English in general, I suppose, but mainly how to write well).

Free courses on expository writing, technical writing, grammar, how to build a sentence, how to edit, how to index, etc., would all be good.

Courses that require payment would not be good. Also, it isn't enough to get a syllabus, a few PowerPoint slides, and a list of Amazon links. I am hoping for real content (lectures, exercises, and tests) free and online like you might get on Coursera (but for writing, not for math and science).

Advanced ESL activities for one-on-one tutoring?

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:34:39 -0800

What to do with very advanced adult ESL students? I teach English for a company which provides services to transplants. I work with each student individually a couple of hours a week. I love the job, but I am having trouble thinking of activities for some of my students. These are working professionals with very high levels of English - they could easily take a college course in English and have no serious issues with accent, grammar, etc. They work full time and have small children, which means they basically have zero time in between lessons to do even the most basic kind of "homework." Even during the lessons themselves, they seem too tired to do anything mentally challenging. I feel like I have exhausted the areas of American culture that may be new to them.

It's a really frustrating experience when I feel that my teaching is useless. I would not be surprised if these students decided to discontinue their lessons (which are free to them), and I would understand, but I need the money and I would love to work with them if I could think of something we could do together. Any suggestions?

What should I study?

GoingToShopping — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:07:57 -0800

What should I look into researching regarding language acquisition (ESL) for my masters degree in Japan? I've lived in Japan for about five or six years now, speak Japanese more or less fluently, did a boat load of study abroad programs in college, and moved here after graduation. Having worked in eikaiwa first and JHS second (and still now), I definitely feel that education is where the fun money is; it's definitely not where LOTS of fun money is, though. With this in mind, and because it seems like everyone I know is doing it, I'm interested in acquiring the monbukagakusho scholarship so I can study at some suitably (overly) prestigious university like Toudai or Keio. This definitely seems to be the right way to pursue my passion and help the students of Japan at the same time.
The problem is this: I have no idea what research proposal might be most likely to get me the scholarship come interview time. I'd like to focus on education/English as a second language. From what I'm told, it's more important that the proposal/idea be "awesome" rather than "feasible," as I'll be able to re-tool it once I get the money and the acceptance of the university.
I want to continue being an educator in Japan, but would like to work either at the private jhs/hs level or university level.

Advice for teaching English in Germany?

edguardo — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:04:40 -0800

I'm getting my CELTA in July in Germany, and I'd like to teach English there afterwards. Help me be a good applicant for teaching jobs and an attractive tutor for freelance work! Relevant info about myself: I'm male, 25 years old, and have a BA in Philosophy with a minor in German Studies. I speak German fluently and studied abroad there in 2007-2008. I've never taught classes before, but I'm not scared to speak in front of a group or classroom.

I'll be doing my CELTA in Hamburg during July, but after that I'll be moving to Baden-Wurttemburg for at least a few months. I'll be based in Heidelberg starting out (I know the city and a few people there), but I'm ultimately willing to move just about anywhere in Germany.

Questions:

How can I make myself most attractive as an applicant for teaching positions at businesses or educational institutions?

To what kind of places should I apply?

Where can I work with a CELTA?

What should I wear to interviews? In the classroom?

What should I emphasize on any applications?

How can I make myself attractive as a freelance tutor?

Where should I advertise?

What else should I know but haven't asked about?

Vielen Dank!

Hoe to improve technical writing and presentation skills as an ESL student?

ADent — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:22:58 -0800

Can you recommend any free/low-cost but reliable online courses/videos/books on technical writing and/or creating decent power point presentations? Also, how do you achieve an academic standard of English when it's not your first language? My husband is an Engineering student, and is also a complete novice when it comes to technical writing and creating Power Point presentations. He wants to use his summer vacations to wildly improve his skills in both.

YouTube videos, online classes, anything that is trustworthy would do.

*Bonus: we are both non-native English speakers, so any resources on acquiring respectable, academia-worthy vocab and grammar skills would also be welcome.

Thanks!

No teaching experience but how to prepare for interview?

AngryTypingGuy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:08:19 -0800

I'm in Korea and I have an interview coming up with an institute (hagwon) as an English instructor. I have no teaching experience but my recruiter would like me to prepare something to say about the curriculum I intend to use... I have an interview coming up tomorrow with a hagwon. I have no teaching experience, except for some tutoring I did back home, but I'm not sure if my recruiter made them aware of the fact. Regardless, the recruiter suggested I prepare something concerning the curriculum and teaching materials I plan to use as an instructor. This school is supposedly more 'intensive' rather than a casual English class, according to the recruiter.

I really have no idea in terms of what type of curriculum I plan to implement. If a school is more 'intensive', wouldn't they have a curriculum in mind already and provide all the necessary teaching materials?

Any ideas?

Entry level jobs for FEMA, the red cross or an ESL position in South America?

Nighthawk3729 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:40:41 -0800

I want to travel, one way I have heard to do this is through organizations such as FEMA and the red cross. I am graduating with a Bachelors in English in 3 weeks and am 24 years old. There are no entry level jobs that I saw available on their websites, am I doing something wrong? Does anyone know where I can find entry level positions? I had thought about teaching English in a Spanish speaking country, does anyone know of some reputable programs for someone wish bare-bones Spanish knowledge looking to improve?

Building a teaching career by teaching abroad? (Fiji)

DaftMythic — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:28:28 -0800

I am interested in a career in teaching, and would love to teach abroad for some time. Immediatly, I must find a way to live in Fiji for the next 6-12+ months (Fiancee is Fijian). ESL, Tutoring, etc. sounds like a viable option, especially if it helps my long term career goals. But currently have no teaching experience. Need advice, how might I do this? ***Long Term:*** I would like to lay the groundwork for a career in teaching. I'm in my mid 20's and have a BA in Liberal Arts. I've always seen myself pursuing a MA or PhD at some point. I had excellent grades, but out of college I wasn't sure what to focus on for graduate work, so I entered the work force. I'd eventually like to become a professor (ideally) or some sort of lecturer/teacher/tutor/writer perhaps. Also I'd like to teach abroad for a while, soak up other cultures & languages, perhaps as precursor or part of my MA studies. I'm leaning towards philosophy, anthropology or religion, specifically eastern religion, so living in other cultures seems relevant. But even if I couldn't become a professor, I could see myself being happy as a high school History, Social Studies, or Government teacher.

What should I consider to build this career path? What abroad experiences would make me more valuable and what would be just exciting, but not necessarily helpful to a future teaching career?

***Short Term:*** I am willing to take ANY assignment (Teaching or otherwise) that will allow me to live in Fiji for the next 6 - 12+ months. Currently I have no teaching background and just enough money to fly myself to Fiji and back. What options do I have to get there ASAP and sustain myself? (To keep on topic, non teaching related ideas please PM me)

The reason for this is I met my Girlfriend, now Fiancee, while traveling in Fiji last year. I've been there twice for over a month each time to be with her but I cannot afford to keep visiting like that. I naively figured I'd get her here with a Fiancee Visa pretty quick. WRONG. Long and short, getting her here is next to impossible for probably a year or more. I can't wait that long. Also, working on getting her here immediately means I cannot (easily) seek higher education or pursue my teaching career goals as I planned; I need to focus my efforts at getting money to support her and the transition costs by taking whatever full time job I can get here in the US.

But I thought, what if I pursue an alternative route to my teaching career while living in Fiji. Then once we are married and the paperwork is all settled we can travel, I can teach in say India (she is part Indian and would love to live there) doing ESL or whatever and then, when we are ready to return to the US, I will have a more competitive resume to pursue my higher education and teaching career.

Obviously there is a lot of tentative and speculative parts to that, and I am totally willing to adjust to economic and career realities. But this is my dream.

So how can I make this work? Suggestions for programs or agencies that operate in Fiji are welcome, as well as how I might rather quickly get some sort of legitimate teaching certification that would be valuable abroad. Or, criticisms: is this a total pipe dream?

Thanks

Like the Krypton Factor but with fewer tracksuits.

mdonley — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:17:30 -0800

I'm looking for ideas for activities to do during a pub quiz/activities evening for ESL/EFL adult students. In addition to having "what's that film?" or "name that tune" rounds, what else can we *do* that would challenge them to use more English, be competitive, and have a great time? This is in Poland, by the way. Things we've done in the past that have gone well:

- teachers act out Polish films in English translation, or English films with Polish translation
- a name-that-tune round with a similar in-translation focus
- general knowledge questions popped up on a big screen with Powerpoint

Some ideas I've had:

- having teams compete to build the tallest tower/longest bridge out of toothpicks and gumdrops
- teams have to watch two nearly-identical clips of a short film and name the differences

Limitations?:

- the activities should be conducted in English but still be possible to complete even if no one at the table/in the team is very proficient in English

- low-cost/easy-to-set-up activities are preferred

- we usually do 5-6 10 minute rounds with breaks

- teachers don't speak huge amounts of Polish

- it's going to be in about a month, on a Friday evening

- there's a bar!

Thanks!

viability of becoming an ESL teacher in Spain at midlife?

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:31:37 -0800

After some recent immersion in learning Spanish, watching Spanish films and going to Spanish conversation Meetups, I have realised I might want to have a go at teaching English as a Second Language in either Barcelona or Madrid. I have a few questions about the feasability of this at my age (42) given that the Spanish economy is not in great shape and my resume has a massive hole in it. I am 42 and living a very quiet and not very exciting life in Glasgow, Scotland. My main hobbies are reading, going to the cinema and surfing the net. I have 1 close friend I go to the cinema with once or twice a month and a girlfriend I have been with for a long time but I feel our relationship is dysfunctional and I have been chronically ambivalent about, never quite being able to commit to it fully. In the past my favourite memories have been of holidays learning Spanish in Barcelona, Peru and Buenos Aires. I have a marketing degree and worked until age 35 when bipolar forced me to give up working. So I have not worked since then although I had good work experience before including some public speaking as part of my job. When I last saw my psychiatrist he sounded very encouraging that I had not had a manic episode since 2005, saying the longer it went on the better the chance I might not have another at all. I do still suffer from low-level depression which I am doing self-help CBT for and finding that helpful. So my questions are:-

1) I have 12 years of general office admin/ marketing/ basic and now outdated web design experience. I would therefore be doing a monthlong CELTA programme in Spain to get my skills to where I could compete for a job. I am sure I could do it and understand the material as I did well academically at University and have also picked up Spanish well. However what could I put on my resume to cover that gaping hole since 2005?

2) Is there much age discrimination amongst those who hire for language students (I only want to teach adults not children)? I am 42 and look middle-aged I am balding and weigh around 220 lbs. My teachers when I studied in Barcelona were mostly female, in their 20s and very attractive. How much of an issue will that be in Spain and how to overcome it?

3) Between living in Barcelona or Madrid, which is most appropriate for someone of my age? I have heard Barcelona people can be a bit wary on non-Catalans, and I imagine they often speak in Catalan when socialising. I am willing to learn Catalan but would I find people friendlier in Madrid, in particular people around my age range say 35-45? I also get the impression a lot of Barcelona people have all their friends already and aren't especially looking to make more, is this a myth and if it isn't would I be better off in Madrid? All else being equal I prefer Barcelona I love the lower summer temperatures, the music scene and the fact it has a beach.

Many thanks in advance for anyone who can offer any help with any parts of the above questions.

What are common pronunciation mistakes English speakers make in other languages?

soma lkzx — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:45:27 -0800

I just found a list of common pronunciation mistakes English learners make depending on their first language background. What are typical pronunciation mistakes English speakers make when learning other languages? Another one would be this page about English pronunciation errors for Korean speakers. I need the opposite - errors English speakers make when learning Korean.

For example, we probably pronounce the Japanese 'r' like an English 'r', while instead it should be more like the middle of 'buddy'.

Anything that can be illustrated with a little bit of fun - like "allergic to peas" vs. "allergic to bees" from the Korean link - is best.

I need to find a brief history of adult ESL education in CA

firemonkey — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:28:10 -0800

I need to find a book/article/website on the history of teaching Adult ESL in California. This is for a paper I am writing for a class. I interviewed the chair of an ESL department and he mentioned some historical facts about ESL in California. He did could not provide specific details, so now I am looking for sources to back up his statements.
I have tried searching the catalogs and article databases of various libraries (college and private). I have also tried just plain ol' Googling. I have tried several different search terms. I have tried searching the websites of various adult ESL education programs in California, but still have not found anything that just provides some basic information on a history of adult ESL education in CA.

Help me, Hive Mind. You're my only hope.

Awesome ESL Projects

one little who — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:38:29 -0800

I'm looking for a fun medium to long term project for an advanced ESL student. For the past few months, I've been volunteering giving ESL lessons through a program at my university. In the past we've done small exercises and activities, reviewing new grammar, vocabulary, and reading each time we meet. My student's English is pretty advanced. He struggles with some grammar and occasionally with pronunciation, but generally is very good at getting his point across clearly and quickly, has a good working vocabulary, and understands just about everything that I say. I occasionally explain things in Spanish (his native language,) but it's rarely necessary.

We talked about goals for the lessons at our last meeting, and we both think it would be fun to start a longer term project. A few years ago he made a cooking video with a previous tutor, and really liked that, so I'm thinking something along those lines, though I don't have the video editing skills that his previous tutor did. I'm looking for ideas of projects that we can work on together during these lessons.

Things that I'm looking for:

- This is a one-on-one tutoring situation, so this needs to be something that my student can work on on his own, with my help.

- It has to be something that doesn't involve too much homework for either of us. We meet for and hour and a half twice a week, and ideally we could work on the project during that time.

- We'll be meeting most weeks between now and the beginning of May, so this project could be something we work on from a couple of weeks to a few months.

- It shouldn't require too many complicated materials or too much space. I have basic school supplies and art supplies, a computer (though it would be easier if we didn't have to use the computer all the time,) and a DSLR camera (with video, though the audio's not too great.)

- My student is an adult, so he might not be interested in projects targeted at kids.

- It ideally should produce some kind of tangible product

- And of course, it should be lots of fun!

ESL teachers and students of Metafilter - what are some awesome, creative ESL projects that you've done or assigned?

When does helping become cheating

muhonnin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:31:18 -0800

How much help is too much help when it comes to a friend's application to an accountancy training programme? A friend is applying for entry-level training programmes within various accountancy firms. Her English language skills are advanced, but not quite fluent. Her comprehension is great, but while her speaking and writing are always clear and effective, she makes frequent minor grammatical errors. She has asked me to review her applications with a view to checking if she's including the kinds of things that employers are looking for--she hasn't specifically asked me to check her grammar, but the applications contain several small mistakes. Should I provide corrections for each of the errors, let them stand so as not to provide employers with a misleading picture of her level of fluency, or steer a middle course? Any guidance (especially from those who process applications of this kind) would be most welcome. . . .